BIMCO introduces first management agreement for autonomous ships

The world’s largest shipping association BIMCO has unveiled that its Documentary Committee has approved the AUTOSHIPMAN agreement, a contractual framework designed to support the rising number of remotely controlled vessels as the maritime industry inches closer to its climate neutrality goals.

As disclosed, the primary purpose behind the AUTOSHIPMAN deal was to lay down the foundation of a standardized contract-based system that enables third-party ship managers to provide operational services for remote-controlled or fully autonomous ships, the majority of which, according to BIMCO, is presently employed in inland waterways and coastal trades.

One ‘essential’ feature of the agreement hides within its flexibility, said to allow for ships to switch between different operational modes, fully remote or manned, even during a single voyage—a feature that, according to BIMCO, could prove pivotal for complying with legal requirements, as certain jurisdictions may mandate partial or full crew presence when ships enter territorial waters or port areas.

The AUTOSHIPMAN agreement is based on the association’s widely used SHIPMAN agreement, which covers the management of traditionally crewed vessels, to govern commercial services and offer a ‘robust’ framework for the obligations, responsibilities, and liabilities.

“AUTOSHIPMAN is a first step by BIMCO into the commercial operation of remotely controlled ships, and perhaps eventually fully autonomous ships,” Grant Hunter, Director, Standard, Innovation and Research at BIMCO, pointed out.

“During the development, we were assisted by legal and insurance experts, and we have gained valuable insight throughout the process from companies who are already operating ships remotely around the world,” he added.

Last year, BIMCO’s Documentary Committee adopted an EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) allowances clause for SHIPMAN, as well as three clauses tailor-made for voyage charter parties. As explained, the extended EU ETS, which came into force at the beginning of this year, set an annual absolute limit on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for vessels of 5,000 gt and above calling at EU ports.

That said, its implementation sparked tensions between shipowners and charters, especially about the language used within charter agreements to ensure a ‘fair distribution’ of costs and legal risks.

The additional ETS clauses, including the one that covers SHIPMAN, thus, were expected to facilitate collaboration and provide ‘clarity and certainty’ between parties as new regulations come into force.

That same year, BIMCO rubber-stamped a CII clause for voyage charter parties. This clause is said to focus on course adjustment and speed reduction together with commercial elements such as data sharing to support the industry’s decarbonization path.

Building on this momentum, in the most recent news, BIMCO revealed that the company started working on crafting a new time charter party—this time specifically for the maritime transportation of carbon dioxide (CO2).

The time charter party CO2TIME, considered to be an ‘industry-first’, is projected to be particularly relevant for the carbon capture and storage market, emerging as part of global efforts to fight climate change.

The target date for the adoption of the charter party is believed to be late 2025 or early 2026—in time for the first commercial projects expected to be launched in 2028-2030, according to BIMCO.